How Doctor Faustus began to practise in his diuelish Arte, and how he coniured the Diuel, making him to appeare and meete him on the morrow at his owne house. Chap. 2
YOu haue heard before, that all
Faustus minde was set to study the artes
of Necromancie and Coniuration, the which exercise hee followed day and night:
and taking to him the wings of an Eagle, thought to flie ouer the whole world,
and to know the secrets of heauen and earth; for his Speculation was so
wonderfull, being expert in vsing his
Vocabula1, Figures, Characters,
Coniurations, and other Ceremoniall actions, that in all the haste hee put in
practise to bring the Diuell before him. And taking his way to a thicke Wood
neere to
Wittenberg, called in the Germane tongue
Spisser Waldt:
that is in English the
Spissers Wood, (as
Faustus would
oftentimes boast of it among his crue being in his iolitie,) he came into the
same wood towards euening into a crosse way, where he made with a wand a Circle
in the dust, and within that many more Circles and Characters: and thus he past
away the time, vntill it was nine or ten of the clocke in the night,
then began Doctor
Faustus to call for
Mephostophiles the Spirite,
and to charge him in the name of
Beelzebub to appeare there personally
without any long stay: then presently the Diuel began so great a rumor
2 in the
Wood, as if heauen and earth would haue come together with winde, the trees
bowing their tops to the ground, then fell the Diuell to bleare
3 as if the
whole Wood had been full of Lyons, and sodainly about the Circle ranne the
Diuell as if a thousand Wagons had been running together on paued stones.
After this at the foure corners of the Wood it thundred horribly, with such
lightnings as if the whole worlde, to his seeming, had been on fire.
Faustus
all this while halfe amazed at the Diuels so long tarrying, and doubting
whether he were best to abide any more such horrible Coniurings, thought to
leaue his Circle and depart; wherevpon the Diuel made him such musick of all
sortes, as if the Nimphes themselues had beene in place: whereat
Faustus
was reujued and stoode stoutly
in his Circle
aspecting his purpose,
4 and began againe to coniure the spirite
Mephostophiles in the name of the Prince of Diuels to appeare in his
likenesse: where at sodainly ouer his head hanged houering in the ayre a mighty
Dragon: then cals
Faustus againe after his Diuelish maner, at which
there was a monstrous crie in the Wood, as if hell had been open, and all the
tormented soules crying to God for mercy; presently not three fadome aboue his
head fell a flame in manner of a lightning, and changed it selfe into a Globe:
yet
Faustus feared it not, but did perswade himselfe that the Diuell
should giue him his request before hee would leaue: Oftentimes after to his
companions he would boast, that he had the stoutest head (vnder the cope of
heauen) at commandement: whereat they answered, they knew none stouter than the
Pope or Emperour: but Doctor
Faustus said, the head that is my seruant
is aboue all on earth, and repeated certain wordes out of Saint
Paul to
the
Ephesians to make his argument good: The Prince of this world is
vpon earth and vnder heauen. Wel, let vs come againe to his Coniuration where
we left him at his fiery Globe:
Faustus vexed at the Spirits so long
tarying, vsed his Charmes with full purpose not to depart before he had his
intent, and crying on
Mephostophiles the Spirit; sodainly the Globe
opened and sprang vp in height of a man: so burning a time, in the end it
conuerted to the shape of a fiery man. This pleasant beast ranne about the
circle a great while, and lastly appeared in manner of a gray Frier, asking
Faustus what was his request.
Faustus commaunded that the next
morning at twelue of the clocke hee should appeare to him at his house; but the
diuel would in no wise graunt:
Faustus began againe to coniure
him in the name of
Beelzebub, that he should fulfil his request:
whereupon the Spirit agreed, and so they departed each one his way.
